Bleacher Report - Articles by Jake Dixon

Hughes vs. Serra: Does Anyone Care?

Jake Dixon — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 20:20:28 -0400

With UFC 98 on its way, the co-main events couldn't be any different in terms of magnitude of the fight as well as where the four fighters are in regards to their respective careers.

Evans v.s Machida will showcase to of the youngest, most successful fighters in the UFC. Both of them undefeated and both of them are young, explosive, and ready for the big time if they are not already there.

If Evans wins, he will defend his title for the first time and be in place for a big money match against Quinton Jackson sometime this summer. If Machida wins, he will hopefully prove the doubters of his fighting style that he is legit and worthy of being the champ.

That fight is why I will shell out $45 on May 23. The other main event is a reason why I hope the under card has some good fights. Matt Hughes v.s Matt Serra is a day late and a dollar short. At one time this was a money fight, but now can barely draw enough change to buy a case a beer for the event. Sorry UFC, you missed the boat on this fight.

Now I know that it wasn't necessarily the UFC's fault this fight is just now happening instead of 2008, but the UFC's push to make this a significant fight is as ridiculous as Thales Letes getting another title shot. Make the fight happen, but don't use it to draw fans to order the fight, because fans who don't know better, may be turning off their television sets disappointed in what the "co-main event" had to offer.

If your a fact guy, then let's look at the facts. Matt Hughes has lost three of his last four fights and all the losses were pretty dominant losses at the hands of Thiago Alves and GSP (twice). He's 36-years-old and definitely looks to have lost a step in the octagon.

Hughes never full evolved into the type of fighters that are competing in the top tiers of the UFC now, his wrestling, strength, and ground and pound were just very good and that no longer cuts it these days. Matt, your on your way out the door, leaving behind a HOF career. Do you really want it to end at the hands of Matt Serra?

That brings us to the other combatant, Matt Serra. He's 2-2 in his last four fights, with the wins against GSP and Chris Lytle to earn the title shot back in 2007. Yep, his most and only significant win happened over two years ago already. Serra, 38, hasn't fought in over a year and is coming off major surgery. Serra is also not known as a KO artist and 8 of his 9 wins have been either submissions or decisions.

So just to make sure I have this straight. A 36-year-old wrestler is going to fight a 38 year old submission fighter with the combined record of these fighters in thier last eight fights is 3-5 with neither of these fighters even close to getting back into the title picture? Yep, sounds like I have it right.

Don't get me completely wrong, I'm not against having the fight. These two don't like each other and I'm guessing that is the reason this fight is getting the billing it's getting. Just don't feed me spam and tell me it's steak.

Serra and Hughes had their time at the top spot, let's put another fight as the co-main event. Sean Sherk vs. Frankie Edgar is a great fight for that bill, but as long as the UFC is still in the business to try and sell tickets to the casual fan and not a hardcore one like myself, we won't see that as the case.

AGE IN THE CAGE, MAY 23. BE THERE OR FALL ASLEEP.

The Anomaly Known as the Guida Family

Jake Dixon — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 17:59:27 -0400

As many of you may know, either by reading my articles or assuming the fact that I write about MMA, I am an avid fan. I try to watch as much as I can, no matter what organization, no matter how well known the fighter is.

Saying that, I'm sitting in my living room, having a cold beer and watching The SHOXC Challenger show on Showtime. As I'm just about to settle in on my couch and crack open that beer, I see that Jason Guida is fighting.

Now I know Jason for one, because he is the older brother of Clay Guida, and for two, because he was the dude that couldn't make weight on The Ultimate Fighter series that is currently airing.

Now, I'm no genius, but I'm figuring that Jason is looking at this fight as a big one. It's his first fight after practically being embarrassed on national television, and he wants to make a statement by the fact that he belongs in the UFC.

I couldn't of figured any farther off.

Jason proceeds to gas out after Round One (you would thinking that after having issues cutting weight in your biggest chance of a lifetime, your cardio would be priority No. 1, but that’s only if you ask me), lose his mouth piece in Round Two, and spend five minutes gasping for air like you have just run the Boston Marathon.

Then the final straw: After standing against the cage like a heavy bag, not taking a lot of serious punches, but not also not doing anything to better your position, the referee finally steps in to stop the fight and you decide to push him backwards and scream at him.

How can you and your little brother be related?

Clay is the cardio king. He is relentless in his attack on his opponent and has always been respectful in his losses. (That includes two very tough ones against Tyson Griffin, which I say he won that fight, and the other versus Roger Huerta, which he was leading after two rounds).

I think that Jason must miss a few of Clay's workouts or after he is done, decides to stop by McDonalds for about five double cheeseburgers. It's beyond me on how these two can be brothers and compete in the same sport, but be total, complete opposites.

Jason showed a lot of character flaws tonight, and I hope for him, personally and professionally, he looks up to his little brother.

The Ridiculousness Known As EliteXC

Jake Dixon — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 15:39:33 -0400

So, I'm sitting on my couch this Friday night watching a little UFC on Spike. As I'm waiting for the replay of the Thiago Alves/Karo Parysian fight to come on, I thought I'd rummage on the Internet and check out some the latest MMA news.

I head over to Sherdog.com (a great MMA website, for those who are unfamiliar), and I see they have the video up for the weigh-ins for tomorrow night's "anticipated" Saturday Night Fights card, produced by none other than MMA's relative circus show known as EliteXC.

I usually like to check out the weigh-ins for events, mostly just to see if anyone didn't make weight and to see the shame on their face. I watched the weigh-ins for this one and nothing out of the ordinary occurred for the most part. EXCEPT for two particular moments. (I encourage you to all check out the video on Sherdog.com.)

One of those is having Gina Carano getting naked on stage to try and make weight. Now don't get me wrong fellas, I love the ladies, and Gina Carano is a good looking one at that, but the idea of having a female fighter stripping down to nothing on stage in front of the audience is fishy to me.

Now you may say, "Hey Jake, male fighters do it all the time." I would say that that is even unnecessary. Have the fighter go in the back and disrobe, and let us know if the fighter made weight or not. I don't care to see a bunch of towels held up and people looking the other way as a naked dude hopes he can make weight.

But as it pertains to female fighters, especially the most famous one in MMA, EliteXC, being the attention hounds they are, probably decided that this may be good publicity to have a good looking lady like Carano having to disrobe and having millions of dudes wondering what is behind those towels.

There is no need for that, and the idea that we want MMA to be legit, and especially for those people who want female MMA to be legit, I feel it does not in any way take a step forward in movement that by having female MMA fighters disrobing completely on stage when it's just as simple and more reasonable to do it in the back.

EliteXC may draw a few more viewers though, and I'm sure it will be mentioned at least once on tomorrow's broadcast.

That wasn't even what b made me shake my head though. The last weigh-in, of course that being Ken Shamrock and Kimbo Slice, summed up what EliteXC wants as their niche in MMA. The WWE.

As both fighters are posing for pictures to the camera, Kimbo turns his back and out of nowhere Ken pushes Kimbo and all hell breaks loose. Ken Shamrock wasn't a good "actor" when he was in the WWF, and he hasn't improved.

I'm so tired of boxing promotions and now apparently MMA promotions choreographing "fights" at the way-ins, especially ones that are brutal to watch.

I can just see it now.....

"Ken you push Kimbo and then Kimbo, you get all angry and push toward Ken and a bunch of people will get in between and you both act like you want to get at each other and maybe we'll make SportsCenter tonight?"

Why didn’t Ken just hit Kimbo with a steel chair, bury Kimbo alive, and then tomorrow night, when Ken comes out to the cage and says he destroyed the "phenom" that is Kimbo Slice, the arena will go black and Kimbo will appear in the cage and the main event will be on.

I better be careful, I just may get a job writing for EliteXC in the few months it has left as a company.

The biggest shame is that tomorrow’s card has some really good fights that I'm looking forward to. (Shields vs. Daley is going to be a classic.)

Now I feel undecided if I should watch any of the card because of the fact that EliteXC is not in the MMA business; they are just in business and the integrity of the sport is what is holding MMA back from becoming a next level sport, and as long as EliteXC is around, I don't see that changing much.

Am I going to watch the fight? Probably, because I love MMA and I want to see some great matches. Will I turn off before Kimbo vs. Shamrock? Probably not, cause I'm a sucker and I need some more material to write about Sunday.

Ultimate Fight Night 15 Review: Who Impressed and Who Needs to Impress?

Jake Dixon — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 15:55:46 -0400

Ultimate Fight Night has come and gone, so let's take a look back at the fights and what they mean for the fighters.

I went 2-for-4 in my predictions. Not too shabby in my first prediction column. I feel there was one upset on the card; other than that, all the televised fights were pretty close.

Houston Alexander has to learn some ground defense. It cost him in his fight against Thiago Silva and it did him in again last night. He started off strong, like he normally does in his fights, but Eric Schafer was able to weather the early storm and get a takedown in the middle of Round One.

After that, Schafer was in total control, with Alexander not doing much at all to control "Ravishing Red." Schafer kept looking for a kimura, but he wound of using Alexander's own arm to help choke him out in the final seconds of Round One.

Good win for Schafer and a disappointing loss for Alexander in his home city. It is unclear where that leaves him in the UFC, and it may be time for the single father to work his way back.

Ed Herman vs. Alan Belcher was a good fight with back-and-forth action throughout the fight. One thing that did catch my eye was Belcher's arrogance in the ring, numerous times dropping his hands and looking to play to the crowd. Also, he wasn't really listening to his corner man, Rich Clementi, as he was telling Belcher to stop throwing the leg kicks as this was leading to Herman being able to grab the leg and get a takedown a few times.

I feel that the fight could of went either way; while Belcher may have the "talent," for him to go to the next level he needs to fight to the finish as his lack of killer instinct almost cost him the fight.

What can I say about Clay Guida? I pretty much foretold how Guida was going to win this fight in my prediction column and he didn't disappoint, setting a frenetic pace that Mac Danzig couldn't keep up with.

Danzig looked good in the first round with his crisp strikes, but Guida did what he does best and never gave Danzig any room to breathe while always pressuring him throughout the fight. I always fought that great cardio wins so many fights for fighters, and this was a prime example of this.

Nate Diaz continues to look impressive in his fights, and this was no different in a hard-fought decision win over Josh Neer. Diaz showed some good judo throws in this fight and had some interesting guard passes that resulted in Neer never having a dominant position for too long of a time

Neer showed me a lot in this fight, too, as he held his own on the ground against a very good jiu-jitsu fighter in Diaz. Neer was a step up in competition for Diaz, but I'd like to see Diaz get a shot at a even bigger name. Diaz vs. Guida, anyone?

Overall, it was a good night of fights for UFC. It will be interesting to see where the wins of Diaz and Guida take these two for there next fights and, like always, I'm looking forward to Michael Bisping vs. Chris Leben in a few weeks.

"A Drop of Knowledge": Clay Guida

Jake Dixon — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 11:18:28 -0400

This will be a reoccurring series of articles that will profile fighters that many new mma fans may not know a lot of. I hope to profile a different fighter each week. Let me know what you all think of the format and any suggestions to make it better.

Fighting History

Clay competed in his first mixed martial arts fight in June of 2003 with a submission loss to Adam Coppenhaver at Silverback Classic 17. After having mixed success for his first few fights, he would string together fifteen straight wins in various promotions with some of his notable wins coming against former IFL star Bart Palaszewski former Strike Force Champion Josh Thomson.

He would fight in the UFC for the first time at UFC 64, winning via rear naked choke over Justin James. His overall MMA record is 23-9, with his UFC record 3-3. Although his UFC record is not impressive, he has lost two of the fights by decision, one by split in a very close battle against Tyson Griffin. His other loss coming against Roger Huerta where most experts had him winning heading into the 3rd round, but he was caught with a big knee and eventually choked out.

Strengths

- Sets an unbelievable pace

- Very good ground-and-pound.

- Excellent endurance

Weaknesses

- Stand-up game (only four of his 23 wins have come by KO or TKO.)

- Submission defense (five of his nine losses have come by submission.)

- Can have a hard time finishing fighters. (four of his last six wins were decided by the ringside judges.)

Something you may not know.....

At the age of twenty-one and before his MMA career, Clay went to Alaska and spent six weeks on a 210-foot trawler fishing for crab and fish off the coast of Alaska.

What's Next?

Clay will face off with Mac Danzig in tonight's co-main event at UFC Ultimate Fight Night 15. He has had some tough losses and he needs to win tonight to get his name back at the top of the 155 contenders.

If he loses, Clay may become destined to be a gatekeeper for other fighters looking to get to a title shot that Clay desperately wants himself.

Ultimate Fight Night 15: Preview and Predictions

Jake Dixon — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 16:21:25 -0400

As we all try and close our jaws after UFC 88, we move on to another intriguing card at Ultimate Fight Night 15. This is headlined by Nate Diaz vs. Josh Neer and co-main event Clay Guida vs. Mac Danzig (I can't wait for that one!).

As we wind down September and get ready for a couple busy months for the UFC, let's take a look at this fight card and break down the winners and losers.

Houston Alexander (8-3) vs. Eric Schafer (9-3-2)

Houston Alexander needs this win badly. For as fast as he came into the UFC, (KO wins over Keith Jardine and Alessio Sakara), he has fallen just as quickly. (TKO stoppage by Thiago Silva and a quick KO from James Irvin.)

Schafer comes back to the UFC after winning two fights outside of the octagon, but losing his last two with the UFC. I see this fight staying on its feet and most of the time that favors Alexander.

Six of Schafer's nine wins have come by submission, so if he can get Houston to the mat, he could be in a world of hurt. I don't see that happening though, and Alexander will get back on the winning streak with a KO in the second round.

Houston Alexander wins via second round KO.

Ed Herman (14-6) vs. Alan Belcher (12-5)

This is one of those fights that can go either way. Both Belcher and Herman have looked terrific in wins and have looked horrible in losses. Consistency is going to be key for both of these fighters to be able to make the leap in the middleweight division.

Belcher is coming off a TKO loss to Jason Day and is always looking to keep this fight standing, where he can use his very good stand up game. The thing that seems to be Belcher's weakness is his ground game, and the fact that he has a hard time dealing with aggressive fighters who like to bring the fight to him.

Ed Herman has a great ground game, nine of his 14 wins have come by submission, but he is also coming off a loss to up and comer phenom Demian Maia. I think that this fight goes to a decision, and I see Ed Herman utilizing a decent top game to grind out a victory.

Ed Herman wins via decision.

Clay Guida (23-9) vs. Mac Danzig (18-4-1)

I can't express how jacked up I am to see this fight. Both fighters are relentless in how they bring the fight in the octagon. I have not seen many holes in either fighter, which makes this fight a toss up in my book.

Danzig has looked unstoppable as he blew through The Ultimate Fighter, winning a contract with the UFC and then submitting tough Mark Bocek this April. His last loss, coming at the hands of Hayato "Mach" Sakurai is over a year ago.

10 of his 18 wins have come by submission, but he has shown a very above-average stand-up game. Clay Guida, on the other hand, has flirted with becoming a top contender in the lightweight division, but then losing a close decision to Tyson Griffin (I had Guida winning that fight) and letting Roger Huerta come back and choke him out.

If Guida wants to get to a title shot down the road, he has to start stringing some wins together, and this would be an excellent place to start.

Guida is overwhelming in his attack, and I see this fight also going to a decision, but Guida pulling it out by pressuring Danzig and getting the take downs in the latter rounds.

Clay Guida wins via decision

Main Event: Nate Diaz (9-2) vs. Josh Neer (24-6-1)

This should prove to be another exciting fight between two young UFC warriors. Neer is coming off a good win against Din Thomas in his comeback to the UFC. Josh took some time off away from the UFC before that win, with his last fight, ironically, coming against Nate's brother Nick back in August of 2006.

Josh has a ton of MMA experience in and outside of the UFC, beating good fighters like Derrick Noble, Melvin Guillard, and even against former lightweight title challenger Joe Stevenson.

Nate Diaz has been on a tear as of late, winning his last four fights, all coming within the UFC. Diaz has been outspoken about wanting to get some stiffer competition, and with a win against a formidable Josh Neer, I have to believe he will get what he wants.

Nate Diaz's all-around game I feel is just too much for Neer. Diaz is a ground wizard with seven of his nine wins coming from submission and half of Neer's defeats have come by the same. Diaz will submit Neer in the third round after a very exciting fight.

Nate Diaz wins via submission in the third round.

This card has shaped up to be a very exciting and interesting Ultimate Fight Night. I can't wait for next Wednesday.

Evan Tanner: A Fighter's Biography

Jake Dixon — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 15:08:53 -0400

By now most people know of the news that Evan Tanner, former middleweight champion and UFC pioneer has passed away at the age of 37.

After hearing the news, I wanted to write an article about Evan. I enjoyed watching Evan in his fights and his will to fight was evident in all of his fights. I didn't necessarily want to write a sad memorial of a great man, but instead talk about his fighting career and the memories I want to remember Evan by, the ones inside the ring.

Evan Tanner began fighting in 1997 when he was convinced by friends to enter a local MMA tournament, hosted by the now defunct Unifed Shoot Wrestling Federation. Tanner won the tournament that night, defeating three fighters including former UFC Heavyweight contender Paul Buentello.

Tanner self taught himself grappling and submission fighting from instructional DVD's featuring the Gracie family. He also fought in Japan under the Pancrase organization with relative success.

Tanner's big break came at UFC 18 when he submitted Darrell Gholar by rear naked choke in the first round. He would win two more fights in the UFC before he was granted a title shot against Tito Ortiz. Evan, unfortunately was knocked out in the first round by a brutal slam by Tito, but this created a much more disciplined fighter and led to greater things for Evan Tanner.

Tanner began training with Team Quest, showing that he was ready to join the top tier of professional MMA fighters. Along with Randy Couture, Matt Lindland, Dan Henderson, and himself, they became a very formidable team and enjoyed many successes.

After losing to Rich Franklin at light heavyweight, Evan decided that it was time for an environment change and dropped down to middleweight which made him a very big and strong opponent at this weight class.

After beating Phil Baroni twice in some exciting and controversial fights, Evan was making a name for himself at the middleweight level. Tanner then defeated Robbie Lawler by triangle choke, thus giving him a shot at the vacant middleweight title against a young and talented fighter in David Terrell. Being an underdog in the title fight, Tanner overwhelmed Terrell in the top position, eventually forcing the ref to come in and stop the fight. Evan Tanner was the UFC middleweight champion.

This is where I am going to stop the history of Evan Tanner. Most of know what happened after this fight, but at this time, does it really matter? I want to remember Evan for all the great things he did inside the octagon and discuss the legacy he left behind at his young age.

Evan Tanner is gone, but his legacy and will to fight will be carried on by all of his fans and any young MMA fighter who saw him fight. I picked the picture above on purpose, because I would think this describes al ot of what Evan Tanner was like. Wild, eccentric, carefree. Evan died doing what he loved to do, being adventurous and pushing life to the limits. We should all take that away from this tragedy.

R.I.P Evan and you will be remembered for eternity.

The Bliss Of Ignorance: Why People Hate on MMA

Jake Dixon — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 12:27:41 -0400

The UFC continues to put record buy rates up pay-per-view after pay-per-view, EliteXC has a network television deal, and Affliction has shown some promise in putting together some big fights.

In the media's eyes, this means jack in the sense of MMA being accepted as a "real" sport.

Before I get on my soapbox about how I'm tired of people that may have seen a few MMA fights in their life being qualified to comment on the sport, I'm going to give you a little history on myself and my love of MMA.

The first fight I ever saw a UFC match was Tank Abbott v.s John Mutua at UFC 6.

I heard a little about the UFC from my brother, who was 19 at the time, and I was excited to see what it was all about.

Early one summer morning, I popped in the VHS tape and watched UFC 6 with my father.

If anyone has ever seen that fight, they know it ends with Mutua eating a few big bombs that Abbott earned his reputation on and was violently and chillingly knocked out.

His arms were stuck in the air and his body was as rigid as Fedor's personality. I remember thinking that I just witnessed this guy's death and even my dad, who grew up in the deep south during the civil rights era and has seen his share of disturbing things, had a look on his face of "wow."

That was my introduction into MMA.

As the years went by, I found myself not becoming overly excited for fighters like Abbott, Kimo, or other fighters who were thirty seconds of fury and then went about the fight like they just ran a marathon.

Instead, I found that I enjoyed the intricacies of the fights and the philosophy of building a game plan and going about executing it in the octagon.

Oleg Taktarov, Dan Severn, Ken Shamrock, and of course, Royce Gracie were guys I was impressed with. They were beating faster, stronger, bigger guys with technique and skill and that was something I could relate to, always being small for my age until I hit a growth spurt my freshman year of college.

Even though I was baptized by the brutal knockout, I worshiped the skill of MMA.

In the past five years, I have become the high priest of MMA. I love the sport and it's gotten to the point that when someone disrespects it, or talks about it without knowing what they are talking about, it upsets me.

Maybe some of you reading this can relate to me on this. If someone is curious about MMA and are just uneducated and they know it, I love trying to show them the small things that make me so passionate about the sport.

I'm all for discussing the debate on MMA and if it is legit or not, but if someone comes at me with incorrect information, ignorance, or the inability to understand what mixed martial arts are about, I take it personally.

This brings me to the No. 1 enemy of the MMA fan: the media personality who watches one fight and declares it violent and not suitable for anyone to watch in society. I love these types.

The UFC, the world's largest MMA organization in the world, has never had anyone die due to in-ring combat. No one has ever been paralyzed in the UFC. No serious head injury has ever come out of the UFC.

Apparently, those facts never come up in the homework these "haters" prepare before they write an article, produce a video segment, or do a radio show on how violent MMA is.

Most of these types, not all, but most, are from the school of boxing.

The sweet science. The fight of kings.

Jim Lampley, a well-known and respected boxing commentator has been in this group and has commented in the past on how boxing is a real sport and the UFC is not, even going so far to say that mixed martial artists are not athletes.

How can I show myself shaking my head in words?

I'm not going to get into the defense of MMA in this article, I'll save that down the road and I'm guessing that anyone that comments on this article agreeing with Lampley, will have to deal with all my fellow MMA writers and their backlash.

I do want to hopefully educate anyone who thinks that mixed martial arts is going to kill boxing and that's why they have so much resistance to mixed martial arts becoming mainstream.

Here's a newsflash: Mixed martial arts isn't going to kill boxing, boxing is going to kill boxing, and if you want to hear my reasons why, I'd be more than happy to explain in another forum.

I like boxing and I think that each of the two sports has its own niche.

I just feel that mixed martial arts niche is going to become much more and that scares all of the boxing purists.

If you have viable and insightful reasons why you think mixed martial arts is bad for society, I am all for that discussion and I am open-minded.

But here's a warning. If you come at any MMA fan with ridiculous, outlandish, false, arrogant, close-minded statements, we will defend our passion and our sport.

I think a quote from Ice T can sum up what I might say to someone: "Don't hate the player, hate the game."

KJ Noons Tells the Rest of the Story

Jake Dixon — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 15:00:51 -0400

Another drama-filled subplot has taken place in the KJ Noons/Nick Diaz/EliteXC storyline, and finally we hear from KJ himself, in regards to the comments from Jared Shaw and his version on why he isn't going to fight Nick Diaz on Oct. 4 on CBS.

Noons released a statement today regarding this situation. This is in its entirety and not edited. This was posted earlier on MMA Weekly.

"It is not about being scared to fight Diaz, whom I previously defeated, it is about the fight I am currently in with Elite XC regarding my career.

I would first like to address all the false allegations and insults from Jared Shaw, a.k.a. $kala, VP of Elite XC. You will see why I am so disgusted of how Elite XC treated me and how it applies to this proposed fight and my career.

$kala says:

Honor my contract. Elite XC wants to talk about honoring the contract. How about when Elite XC honored the contract and my pay to fight Edson Berto went down after I lost my first fight. That was not part of my contract. Or how about the contract Gary Shaw breached by not promoting my boxing career?

Gary Shaw only gave me one out of four of the agreed upon fights. I have not boxed for over a year. When I signed with Elite XC, I was promised they would promote both my boxing and MMA careers. I could have signed with another MMA-only company, but I wanted to box, too.

Elite XC does me a favor after I lose, by putting me on the first ShoXC against Edson Berto? Berto’s father is good friends with Jared’s father, Gary Shaw who wants Berto’s brother on a boxing contract. Berto was the next guy Elite XC wanted to build. But I win that fight and now I am 1-1. Elite XC gives me an opportunity to fight Diaz. Elite XC puts me against Diaz because Elite XC’s roster was so light and there was nobody else to fight him.

Elite XC creates a new weight class for Diaz because he beat Gomi. Giving Diaz a belt and creating a weight division (160) he can make, will make your belt legit. Sorry to ruin Elite XC’s plans and beat him.

Elite XC never promoted or took care of me as their champion.

Examples:

In the Elite XC’s DVD, where Diaz and I fought there are two (2) baseball cards of Diaz and Kimbo. Hello! I won the fight and Elite XC’s promoting Diaz after I beat him? Or how about the day Elite XC flew Diaz in to do a signing on the DVD where he lost. Wow, that must have been uncomfortable Nick? Signing a DVD, and it is a fight that you lost. Why wasn’t I flown in for the signing?

Elite XC has never promoted me on either of their websites, EliteXC or Pro-Elite.

Elite XC offered me a fight on the first CBS show, but only if I signed a new long-term contract. Instead of promoting their best fighters on CBS, you have to be on a long term contract for them to promote you. That was not our deal.

Consider when Elite XC gives a couple thousand tickets away at their CBS show in Stockton.

Elite XC gives me a hard time about comping me one extra ticket for my cousin that helped me train for my fight. I only get four tickets per show. I am the main event in Honolulu, my home town! I did not ask for any tickets for my family and friends and they gave me a hard time about one extra ticket!

Or how about when Elite XC brought Diaz into the ring after my last victory in Hawaii to disrespect me and my family.

Chuck Champion (President Elite XC) threatens me, my family, and my manager with lawsuits and how he’s going to sue me. HAHA. Pretty hard to sue a guy who does not make jack with your company. I’m glad $kala disclosed how much I make, which breached the confidentiality clause of the contract.

I will break down the real numbers for you. I am the defending world champ, I have been the main event for Elite XC three out of four times on Showtime. In almost two years, I have made approximately $83,000?

After paying my trainers and managers fee, I have $50,000 thousand. After taxes, probably 30 grand. Divide that by two years for $15,000 thousand a year. Divide by 52 weeks that amounts to approximately $300 a week. I do not know anybody that can survive on that amount of money.

My buddies make more money than that in a couple days being a bus boy or bar back. And yes, you can argue I should fight more. Elite XC doesn’t give me fights or promote me, they ice me. Gary Shaw Productions only gave me one of the agreed upon four fights per the boxing contract.

And I do not want to ramble on about all the little small stuff that I can keep going on about. But the straw that broke the camel’s back is they want me to fight Diaz for the second time. Diaz is not the No. 1 contender and they are paying Diaz three-times more money than me. Diaz complained after the Stockton fight, he was not paid enough.

How do you think that made me feel? Yes, you can argue that Diaz gets more for the draw, therefore I do not deserve as much compensation. If that is the case, it is a result of Elite XC terrible job promoting me. Instead of promoting me as their champ and upcoming athlete, Elite XC has resented me for ruining their plans to make Diaz their champ. That is just total disrespect. So it comes down to money and what is fair. I am tired of being bent over by Elite XC with no Vaseline.

I am right when I say Diaz is not the No. 1 contender. Elite XC is trying to force this fight for their ratings. Eddie Alaverez is the No. 1 contender and anybody with half a brain knows that a fight with Eddie is a way harder fight for me than Diaz. I will fight Diaz, but Elite has to be fair. I’m not ducking Diaz, why the hell would I be scared of someone I already beat.

With that being said, I am going to focus on my boxing career. I can make more money doing six and eight rounders every other month and make more than I did being the Elite XC defending world champ.

At least I will be able to sleep at night and be able to look myself in the mirror everyday. That right there is worth more than $300 bucks a week or fighting a guy I cannot stand for less money than him the second time around.

Will the Diaz fight happen? Yes. Will the fight happen on Elite XC on Oct 4, 2008, probably not. The way things are being run by Chuck Champion, a guy whose history is newspapers, not fighting, and $kala, someone who talks a lot of game, but has never put on a pair of gloves, never stepped in a ring or cage.

$kala has had everything handed to him with a silver spoon from daddy. Does anyone else but me think $kala just wants to be famous and stir up all this dirty laundry? I guess any publicity is good publicity. When I think about it, it has been good promotion for their October card, since nobody is talking about it until you bring up the Noons vs. Diaz matchup.

Before I end, I would like to thank my team, my trainers, and workout partners for helping me prepare for my fights hours every day. I would like to also thank my manager Mark Dion for standing behind my decision making. I want to be a fighter who is not doing whatever I am being told like some kind of mindless puppet.

Thanks for hearing my side.”

Liddell looks for title shot versus Evans

Jake Dixon — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 17:21:31 -0400

With the UFC Light Heavyweight Division being changed somewhat with Forrest Griffin taking the title from Quinton Jackson, this leads to more possibilities for the UFC to put out some exciting fights, including a showdown with Griffin and former title holder Chuck Liddell.

That's if Liddell can get by undefeated Rashad Evans Sept. 9 in Atlanta.

Evans is probably the best wrestler Liddell has fought since his historic trilogy with Randy Couture. Evans wrestling and take downs are quite a bit different than Couture's or even of Tito Ortiz when Liddell fought him twice (both wins by KO).

Evans has showed an explosive streak an an ability to takedown anyone who stands before him. Liddell has always been known for his excellent takedown defense, but if Evans can stand up enough to set-up a good shot, can Liddell contain Evans?

To try and explain if that's possible, let's break down this fight by category.

Standup: Advantage: Liddell

Is there anyone who is more dangerous than Chuck Liddell in the standup game? Evans has good standup (look at his brutal KO of Sean Salmon fore evidence), but Rashad would be out of his mind if he wants to keep this fight standing.

Wanderlei Silva went head to head with him and the "Axe Murderer", known for his brutal stand up, got the worst of the exchanges. Keith Jardine, one of the few to stand up with Liddell, and get the best of him, had an awkward approach which Liddell will not have to deal with in Evans.

Rashad needs to show he's not afraid of Chuck's stand up, but also smart enough to just do enough to set-up a take down. If not, it will be a short night for Evans.

Grappling: Advantage: Evans

Chuck, a former college wrestler at Cal Poly, has shown the ability to take the fight to the ground lately. Even with this, Chuck knows his best chance of winning this fight is to sprawl and brawl.

Evans, a former big ten wrestler out of Michigan State, has shown that he has the skill set and explosiveness to take fighters down at will.

It will be interesting to see that if Rashad has a difficult time taking down Chuck, will he become frustrated an abandon the game plan that gives him the best chance to win?

Submissions and Ground and Pound: Advantage: Evans

Let's be honest; Liddell or Evans has never shown any Royce Gracie in them in submitting opponents. Evans only has two submissions in 12 fights and Chuck has even less with one in 26 fights.

This basically goes down to who has the best ground and pound an I have to favor Evans in this category.

He was criticized early in his career for not being able to finish fights, but his G and P stoppage of Jason Lambert and his moments of viscous elbows he was throwing in the draw to Tito Ortiz shows enough that if Chuck finds himself on the bottom for most of this fight, we have a upset on our hands.

Experience: Advantage: Liddell

Chuck Liddell has seen and done it all. He has beaten them all. Couture (twice), Renato "Babalu" Sobral (twice), Ortiz (twice),Vitor Belfort, Kevin Randleman, Silva, the list goes on.

He's by far the most battle tested fighter that the UFC has on their roster. Evans on the other hand has fought a few big names (Ortiz, Michael Bisping), but this is a huge step up in competition for the former Ultimate Fighter winner.

Can he hack it with the big boys, or will he succumb to the headline pressure?

Winner: Chuck Liddell KO in RD 2

At the end of the day, I think Chuck will do a better job of keeping the fight standing and like he always has said, he is going to get you eventually.

If the fight goes as Chuck predicts, he should be looking at at a title fight with Griffin sometime this winter. Will Chuck have a shot to regain the Light Heavyweight Title for the second time, or will Rashad Evans look to cement his name as a number one contender?